All people feel anger at times. It can be a response to many different difficulties in life. A
person may feel that they or others to whom they are close are being treated badly or
disrespected. Anger may be a response to feeling under threat, physically, emotionally, or financially. A person may feel powerless in a situation that is negatively impacting them,
leading to frustration or fear. Anger could also be a response to daily life stresses and
difficulties. There may also be serious underlying issues affecting the anger. A person might
have past experiences of being abused or bullied, potentially leading them to be fearful of
being hurt again. They may be grieving a loss or bereavement. They could be emotionally
affected by experiencing physical pain, be abusing drugs or alcohol, or have existing mental
health problems such as depression and bipolar. Anger is associated with the ‘fight or flight’
response with increases of adrenaline and cortisol speeding the heart rate and breathing.
This gives the person an additional charge of focus and energy to overcome danger.
However, anger that is inappropriately expressed can cause hurt and harm relationships. If a
person is often angry this is termed chronic anger and can lead to various health issues
including high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, digestive problems, and skin
disorders. Chronic anger can also affect a person’s thinking about a situation and encourage
an angry response when an alternative may have been more suitable. If a person suppresses
their anger this too can affect their health and possibly lead to depression, anxiety, mood
swings, shame, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and dissociation from the self when feelings
become overwhelming. A person may attempt to counter feelings they cannot control by
substance abuse, overeating, or self-harm.
person may feel that they or others to whom they are close are being treated badly or
disrespected. Anger may be a response to feeling under threat, physically, emotionally, or financially. A person may feel powerless in a situation that is negatively impacting them,
leading to frustration or fear. Anger could also be a response to daily life stresses and
difficulties. There may also be serious underlying issues affecting the anger. A person might
have past experiences of being abused or bullied, potentially leading them to be fearful of
being hurt again. They may be grieving a loss or bereavement. They could be emotionally
affected by experiencing physical pain, be abusing drugs or alcohol, or have existing mental
health problems such as depression and bipolar. Anger is associated with the ‘fight or flight’
response with increases of adrenaline and cortisol speeding the heart rate and breathing.
This gives the person an additional charge of focus and energy to overcome danger.
However, anger that is inappropriately expressed can cause hurt and harm relationships. If a
person is often angry this is termed chronic anger and can lead to various health issues
including high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, digestive problems, and skin
disorders. Chronic anger can also affect a person’s thinking about a situation and encourage
an angry response when an alternative may have been more suitable. If a person suppresses
their anger this too can affect their health and possibly lead to depression, anxiety, mood
swings, shame, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and dissociation from the self when feelings
become overwhelming. A person may attempt to counter feelings they cannot control by
substance abuse, overeating, or self-harm.